Investors sought to produce IPTN N-250 and N-270
JAKARTA (JP): American Regional Aircraft Industry Inc. (Amrai), a joint venture between PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) and General Electric of the United States, is seeking investors to produce the N-250 and N-270 aircraft.
"We're offering 50 percent of the stake in this company to other investors," Louis F. Harrington, the president of Amrai told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
He said that IPTN will have a 40 percent stake, while General Electric will have a 10 percent stake in the aircraft manufacturing company.
According to Harrington, the initial investment for aircraft production will be about US$30 million.
He said that basic assembly of the two airplanes will be done at IPTN's industrial complex in Bandung, West Java.
"But for the airplanes to be sold on the American market, we have to do the final assembly in the United States to tailor them with the local need. For other markets, all assembly will be done in Indonesia," he said.
The turboprop airliner N-250 will have a seating capacity for 64 passengers, while the N-270 has a 70-passenger capacity. Both have a maximum speed of over 600 kilometers per hour.
Harrington claimed that the market for these kinds of aircraft will be good, particularly in North, Central and South America.
He said that during the period between 1996 and 2015, North America alone will require 2,034 planes of the N-250 and N-270 types.
"We target to reach a market share of 25 percent or about 500 units of the two types by 2025 on the market," he said.
He said the N-250 is now undergoing a flight test and will receive certification in 1998. "Later in 1998, we hope that we can make the first delivery of N-250," he said.
He said that Amrai -- based in Mobile, Alabama -- and IPTN will begin development of the N-270 next month. The N-270 will make its maiden flight in late 1998, and is expected to receive its certification in the third quarter of 1999.
Harrington noted that Amrai will be able to make the first delivery of N-270 in the third quarter of 1999.
CN-235
IPTN signed an agreement yesterday with a number of Australian aerospace companies to study a range of options for future development and sales of the CN-235, including the manufacture and production of the Phoenix CN-235 in Australia.
IPTN's president, B.J. Habibie, who is also the state minister of research and technology, said that the Phoenix CN-235 is the CN-235, which is tailored to local needs in Australia.
The Australian companies include Hawker de Havilland, Hawker Pacific, Honeywell and Aerospace Technical Services.
According to Habibie, Indonesia will participate in an international tender to be held by Australia for the procurement of military aircraft of the N-235 type.
Habibie said that IPTN is currently very active in Australia to win the tender. "We're offering them the N-235 type that can be developed to the needs of the Australian military. This will be a big contract, because that country is going to replace dozens of military airplanes with the N-235 type," he said.
He said that if IPTN wins the contract, Australia will buy CN- 235 fixed-wing military aircraft under an offset arrangement.
An offset is a trade arrangement whereby the buyer agrees to the purchase of goods on the condition that the seller accepts a certain part of the payment in the form of aircraft components.
"We hope that we'll win the tender," he said.
Habibie said that the air show's organizing committee had changed the schedules and the ticket prices for the public days. The public days will start from today until Sunday. Originally, the public day would start from Friday to Saturday.
The organizing committee also cut the ticket price from Rp 50,000 ($21.6) to Rp 20,000 for public visitors and is providing special ticket prices for students -- Rp 10,000 for high school students and Rp 5,000 for junior high school students. (13)